It was a couple of hours before the Math exam for Class X CBSE began that the Math paper leak was informed to the CBSE.

CBSE chief Anita Karwal received a mail at 1:39AM on March 28 claiming that the Math paper had leaked on WhatsApp and that the exam should be cancelled.

The CBSE took note of the email and began investigations, however, keeping the scheduled examination going to avoid confusions across the country.

Anita had received the email from a 16 year old school student of Delhi. He was also appearing for the examination, and when he received the paper on his WhatsApp, he chose to turn whistle blower immediately. The child used his father’s email account to send the message to Anita, and requested the chairperson to cancel the exam.

CBSE approached the police immediately and the crime branch registered the case at 8pm on March 28 on the basis of the email.

Google was asked to help to trace the email and finally it led to the man and his teenage son. The man, working at an upscale Delhi club confirmed that it was his son who turned whistle blower. Asking not to be named, the man said that his son was upset when he received the Math paper on his WhatsApp. The child attached the message received on his WhatsApp to the email sent to the CBSE, which was not seen till morning, as confirmed in media reports.

The man confirmed to Hindustan Times, that his phone was used by the child to send the email. This was the reason why his email was mentioned in the FIR filed by CBSE, after it was confirmed that the attached Math paper was the actual paper.

As per Anil Swarup, Secretary, School Education in the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, the mail, which was sent at 1:39AM was opened only at 8:55AM, being an official email ID. The email was sent to the controller of examinations for cross checking but since the papers were sealed, and per rules could not be opened before 9:30AM. By the time the cross checking took place, the examination had already begun.

A special investigation team, corraborating efforts to hack the case, is led by two Dy Commissioner ranked police officers. Questioning of students and members across the WhatsApp chain is continuing. Tution centers are being approached for questioning and the police have also approached CBSE to understand how the paper is set and how it is distributed.

Meanwhile, the Class XIIth Economics paper is scheduled on April 25 across the country, and the Class Xth Maths re-test will, if required be held only in the Delhi and Haryana regions, and that too, some time in July 2018, if deemed necessary.